This invention relates generally to telecommunications and more particularly to transmission of segmented bitmaps.
Enhanced General Packet Radio Service (EGPRS) uses bitmaps to provide automatic repeat request (ARQ) feedback to a transmitting device component. The bitmaps represent a receipt status (e.g. Acknowledgment/Negative Acknowledgement or Ack/Nack status) of individual Radio Link Control (RLC) data blocks that are sent from a transmitting device to a receiving device in groups that comprise a transmission window. When the receiving device receives a number of blocks correctly and receives a number of blocks incorrectly, then the receiving device sends to the transmitting device a bitmap composed of both xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9ds and xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9ds. Hence, through bitmap feedback, the receiving device requests that the transmitting device to re-transmit specific blocks.
Because bitmaps associated with high-speed links are too large for the receiving device to send in a single transmission, the bitmaps are typically segmented. So, the receiving device usually executes the ARQ by sending the bitmap only one segment at a time. In one approach, the feedback is truncated(for example, when a first segment of the bitmap that corresponds to the beginning data blocks of the transmission is sent repeatedly). Such an approach undesirably delays the transmitting device in receiving bitmap feedback concerning those data blocks of the transmission that are transmitted subsequent to the beginning blocks of the transmission window. The approach suffers from an inefficiency of the transmitting device not receiving early feedback that represents a more current received state of all the data blocks of the transmission.
Therefore, a need exists for enhanced reporting of the current received state of all data blocks of a transmission that uses a transmission window multiple times.
Pursuant to the present invention, shortcomings of the existing art are overcome and additional advantages are provided through the provision of cycling through an entirety of error-indicating acknowledgment information.
The invention in one embodiment encompasses a method. The method determines a plurality of portions that comprise an entirety of error-indicating acknowledgement information. The plurality of portions that comprise the entirety of the error-indicating acknowledgement information are cycled through to send the error-indicating acknowledgement information.
Another embodiment of the invention encompasses a system. The system includes a generator component that determines a plurality of portions that comprise an entirety of error-indicating acknowledgement information. The system includes a generator component that cycles through the plurality of portions that comprise the entirety of the error-indicating acknowledgement information to send the error-indicating acknowledgement information.
A further embodiment of the invention encompasses an article. The article includes a computer-readable signal-bearing medium. The article includes means in the medium for determining a plurality of portions that comprise an entirety of error-indicating acknowledgement information. The article includes means in means in the medium for cycling through the plurality of portions that comprise the entirety of the error-indicating acknowledgement information to send the error-indicating acknowledgement information.